Another day, another semester and a whole set of new courses to study. The problem is not coursework but what is to be included in the course. I chose my electives, do I care to study why Dove launched a certain marketing strategy or do I study why Tata took Corus or should I be studying why Gold follows a certain price trend. So little time and so much to absorb before I leave this place in about four months now, I worry thinking what will do when I won’t have a sound 12 hours sleep or what will I do when I wont be going home every 4 months.
No matter how aloof you want to remain, the truth is that hostel life teaches you a lot something’s directly onto you whereas something’s subtly but certainly. I couldn’t have imagined spending days holed up in a 10*10 room but I do now and much to my enjoyment. I care about my own soap and shampoo supplies and food too. I have to take care of dirty linens, even though my room looks much like a bachelors abode I try incessantly to clean it. And more so I am responsible for my own security and safety, specifically I would like to remind you at this stage that one of rooms here had a problem of the ceiling fan dropping down every now and then because of poor plastering. Given the size of the room and mine and the fan, I would prefer to sleep in the balcony even if the college provides me a life insurance of a million dollars.
One of most interesting financial and operational activities in a hostel is “Borrowing”, well no one wants to lend but still borrowing happens – don’t ask how. Whether it be your best pair of shoes, your business suit, your t-shirt that your girl gifted you or even some green backs from your wallet, they always disappear into the crowd and the next time you meet them you may not even be sure if you have met them before. Let alone the petty stuff like matchboxes, cigarettes and other food stuff specially sweets. I don’t smoke but still I have been asked so many times for a matchstick by my cigar smoking neighbor that I actually started stocking matchboxes. One of my friends stocks sweets but keeps an empty sweet box to show people who come asking for a fatty recharge. While some also manage to bring cartons and cartons (I am not exaggerating) of aloo bhujia of a specific halwai in Calcutta, some barely survive on the monotonous flavors in the mess. No matter what the mess cooks, it all tastes the same.
Half past the night, when the actual life in a hostel begins you may have a buddy coming over to ask for some alcohol or some chakna to go with it. And to tell you the truth, this happens most on the days when the night café inside the hostel is closed. At two in the night if you manage to walk past the warden’s room you can still hear the photocopier buzzing, and the printer running. From morning ten to night ten, the barber never stops shaving and cutting. Doesn’t he get bored, its his job I am told but then I wonder is mine going to be similar in terms or routine, I hope not. I would like a lot of movement within and outside the office, flexi-hours, lots of good stuff to eat and loads of time to sleep.
And one of the best things to learn from is the travel back to hostel, it takes me two hours to fly back from Delhi to Hyderabad and almost similar duration to travel from the Hyderabad airport to my hostel. Even if I come by train which takes 26 hours the journey only ends after 28, I constantly view city followed by a village and jungles and is the same pattern here. And what to say about learning when you meet 40 national level athletes in your train bogey travelling without a confirmed train ticket, its like a track field you can see long jumps happening, track and hurdles races and relays. As much as three managing to sleep on a single seat wasn’t a demonstration of a gareeb rath that lalu started, but it was definitely showcasing the poor halaat of sports authority of india. One of the fellow grumbles “Just once let me get a medal, I will teach the f****** system a lesson”, and I only guess his agony and help him onto my berth for a few hours of sleep before he runs for the medal. Probably his innocent eyes can see the difference between the sweet lime soda he gets and the two glasses of fresh juice his coach gets paid for him...
I am learning all this apart from the electives and I don’t get credits for this in my GPA, when I pen this down I am merely writing a dissertation on my life and times for which I have no one guide assigned to me. Better be back to my books or they will find other readers, hang on and shout your thoughts for I will be back soon….
No matter how aloof you want to remain, the truth is that hostel life teaches you a lot something’s directly onto you whereas something’s subtly but certainly. I couldn’t have imagined spending days holed up in a 10*10 room but I do now and much to my enjoyment. I care about my own soap and shampoo supplies and food too. I have to take care of dirty linens, even though my room looks much like a bachelors abode I try incessantly to clean it. And more so I am responsible for my own security and safety, specifically I would like to remind you at this stage that one of rooms here had a problem of the ceiling fan dropping down every now and then because of poor plastering. Given the size of the room and mine and the fan, I would prefer to sleep in the balcony even if the college provides me a life insurance of a million dollars.
One of most interesting financial and operational activities in a hostel is “Borrowing”, well no one wants to lend but still borrowing happens – don’t ask how. Whether it be your best pair of shoes, your business suit, your t-shirt that your girl gifted you or even some green backs from your wallet, they always disappear into the crowd and the next time you meet them you may not even be sure if you have met them before. Let alone the petty stuff like matchboxes, cigarettes and other food stuff specially sweets. I don’t smoke but still I have been asked so many times for a matchstick by my cigar smoking neighbor that I actually started stocking matchboxes. One of my friends stocks sweets but keeps an empty sweet box to show people who come asking for a fatty recharge. While some also manage to bring cartons and cartons (I am not exaggerating) of aloo bhujia of a specific halwai in Calcutta, some barely survive on the monotonous flavors in the mess. No matter what the mess cooks, it all tastes the same.
Half past the night, when the actual life in a hostel begins you may have a buddy coming over to ask for some alcohol or some chakna to go with it. And to tell you the truth, this happens most on the days when the night café inside the hostel is closed. At two in the night if you manage to walk past the warden’s room you can still hear the photocopier buzzing, and the printer running. From morning ten to night ten, the barber never stops shaving and cutting. Doesn’t he get bored, its his job I am told but then I wonder is mine going to be similar in terms or routine, I hope not. I would like a lot of movement within and outside the office, flexi-hours, lots of good stuff to eat and loads of time to sleep.
And one of the best things to learn from is the travel back to hostel, it takes me two hours to fly back from Delhi to Hyderabad and almost similar duration to travel from the Hyderabad airport to my hostel. Even if I come by train which takes 26 hours the journey only ends after 28, I constantly view city followed by a village and jungles and is the same pattern here. And what to say about learning when you meet 40 national level athletes in your train bogey travelling without a confirmed train ticket, its like a track field you can see long jumps happening, track and hurdles races and relays. As much as three managing to sleep on a single seat wasn’t a demonstration of a gareeb rath that lalu started, but it was definitely showcasing the poor halaat of sports authority of india. One of the fellow grumbles “Just once let me get a medal, I will teach the f****** system a lesson”, and I only guess his agony and help him onto my berth for a few hours of sleep before he runs for the medal. Probably his innocent eyes can see the difference between the sweet lime soda he gets and the two glasses of fresh juice his coach gets paid for him...
I am learning all this apart from the electives and I don’t get credits for this in my GPA, when I pen this down I am merely writing a dissertation on my life and times for which I have no one guide assigned to me. Better be back to my books or they will find other readers, hang on and shout your thoughts for I will be back soon….
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